Tips for what to bring to parks for 1year old

[Jennygt]

I was just looking for any good tips or hints that you all have used that were helpful. We are going to wdw in Sept for DS 1st bday! Any tips in general, not just what to bring ,would be appreciated!

 

[Redbudlover]

Subscribing. Would like to read them too.

 

[KingsGenie]

We are bringing ds one week before his 1st birthday too. One thing I remember from dd was those plastic mats that tape to the table. I think they had Elmo on them. They were great since she was at that "food everywhere" stage... uh, I mean the "finger food" stage. I didn't have to worry if she ate off the table.

I would love to hear any other tips!

 

[monorailsilver]

Are you taking about when waiting in lines?

If you are, I have brought nothing but my kids. As it is I don't want to carry anything extra if I don't have to since I have the camera & video depending on what we are doing, diapers, wipes & a few snacks & water. My kids enjoy people watching like me & there is so much to see as they are waiting anyways.

Like a PP said, bring the table toppers. We also brought lysol wipes to wipe down the surfaces first (our middle child has food allergies so I need to make sure it is as clean as I can get it).

We have a small cooler to keep our water in.

I think I brought a few sand toys for the Poly's beach.

Snacks from home that you know he will eat just in case (or buy them there).

We ship breakfast down (along with snacks/diapers, etc...) & dh & I shower (OK we take turns) while the kids eat and so do we. It saves so much time for us since our kids are slow eaters not to mention it saves money too.

We leave the park for naps but I know many people who don't but I need a break from the park too & I grew up taking breaks so why stop now.

I would go with the flow. Don't over plan because your child is more important then seeing this or that.

One year pre kids I went in May. It was the day before Mother's day & MK was at capacity. Right after the fireworks Main Street was so crowded you couldn't even walk. Kids & babies were crying while the moms & dad were trying to steer them thru the crowds.

I vowed then that when I have kids & take them they will nap. I made my then 4 yo nap in 2005 & she hadn't napped in over a year at that point.

I personally wouldn't do anything to big on the day you arrive if you are flying. Flying makes you so tired (or it does me) & I tried to plan naps around the time we flew but do you think my dd napped in 2002 on the flight & it was her nap time? NOooooo. Do you think my ds napped in 2005 during the flight(s) which were both his nap time? Nooooo. So when we go in 2008, I am not planning the flight around my youngest (now 1 yo) & her nap time. I told dh we are taking an early am flight & I hope that she will somehow fall asleep either on the way to the airport, on the plane or on the way to Disney.

Don't freak out if you kid doesn't get all his fruits & veggies & milk for the day. I have to remind myself yes we are on vacation & while we should try to be good it is OK to slip for the week.

 

[Princess Roo]

Food I don't know what finger food your child is currently eating, but I think it is very comforting to them to have foods they are familiar with at that age. We also weren't above keeping DS happy by feeding him Cheerios in line or in a show!

Off the top of my head, in my park bag for the child I would put:

• At least one more diaper than you think you need
• Wipes
• 1 or 2 changes of clothes
• Swim diaper for playing in the fountains and a chamois or small towel for drying off
• Snacks
• Drinks
• Maybe a toy for on the bus, but that was actually DS' favorite part, it seemed!
• Sunblock
• Something to put over the stroller if it rains.

Sounds like our travel plan is a lot like monorailsilver. We eat breakfast in the room, arrive at the parks when they open, and come back to the room for a nap. I think that is really a personal preference thing, though. Just pay attention to your child's cues.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I also agree with tabletoppers those things were great.
We also had disposible bibs, but I am not sure they still make them.
Stroller fan
Good hat, preferrably one that ties with a wide brim. Ours had a spf rating on it and we got a matching swim trunks at Target. I think they have them this year too.
medicine
Make sure they get enough sleep. That was what we struggled with.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Just got home last night after visiting with my 16 month old- I took:

One small backpack with:

a one gallon size ziplock bag with a full change of clothes including diaper ( good for getting wet and playing in the fountains- it's all contained so no digging for clothes, shoes while holding a wet slippery baby...., and it makes it easy to reassemble the baby after a wet play time!

a one gallon bag ziplock with three or so diapers, ointment, and travels size wipes, baby tylenol

a one ziplock baggie ( do you notice a theme here? ) with finger foods- ziwiebac toast, dry cereal, dried fruit,a juice box and a small water,

The reason for the baggies was to make digging for "stuff" in the backpack painless- just grab a bag and you have it all! ALSO, bag checks go easy when the bags are oganized.

Walmart has a small clip on fan for strollers- the baby really enjoyed that- he would poke at it to get us to turn it on.

Another great thing was a pocket umbrella- it worked wonders for covering the stroller- we slid it through the side of the frame- it was much bigger then the umbrella stroller shade and covered ALL of the baby's body and legs-

AND last but not least- excedrin or tylenol for Mom and Dad -

 

[Redbudlover]

I love the baggies idea. Did you try to eat out at nice restaurants while there?

 

[monorailsilver]

The bag thing reminded me of one more thing.

We brought empty zip locks to the park in our cooler (which has ice packs/ice) & put the food our dd didn't finish in it this way she had that for dinner or lunch the next day.

At 15 months she did not have a big appetite & these were at counter service places too. But she'd eat half of her nuggets & be done with her meal & I really didn't want to throw it away since I wouldn't do it at home if we had left overs.

And it was so nice too because she was/is a slow eater that we'd set her up with dinner & we'd hop on the monorail to Epcot or the MK & she'd still not be done & then we'd grab a bite to eat & we'd all finish at the same time.

 

[Daydreamer64]

The baggies are great- just reach into the backpack and grab the bag that you need- snacks, diapers, camera ...and everything is waterproofed Nothing is loose in the backpack so it's easy to get what you want right away.

Ben enjoyed the trip-he points at things and says "ee" for see and he was having so much pointing time that he decided that he needed to talk to get our attention- so he started to point - "bark" - then say "ee" we have a maltese dog and she has a high bark- Ben can mimic it beautifully- so he barked his way pointing through the parks! I'm sure that people thought it was strange- but we couldn't help but LOL every time Ben barked.

Yes, we ate in Germany. Our refridgerator went out last month - we have been eating out on daily basis- the baby has been great- it's really helped him to learn table manners ( well, for a one year old! ). We've all lost weight too because we can't eat anything that isn't in the house!

He HAS to feed himself or all of us get showered with flying food that he knocks out of our hands- can we say he's gifted because he's reached the terrible twos a half of a year early?!

Anyway, we sat down, he was happy with his cut up food, chowing away and the show started- he clapped and grinned, he kept beat to the music with his precious little head- it was great UNTIL......

the entertainers asked everyone to bang their cups together and shout some kind of cheer- Ben is not frightened by loud sounds, he loves the graveyard in the HM and laughs at the screams during ITTBAB- so I was surprised when then they incited the crowd to yell louder-and that was all it took- Ben lost it

He is usually easy to calm down - nothing worked- and to make it worse , he's a mommy milk kind of a guy and wanted to hide under my shirt to get away from the yelling- he kept trying to pull up my shirt to get inside and would not calm down because I stopped him from disrobing me!

I would have let him get some milk to calm down but he wouldn't let me be discreet- he wanted the whole top up and both "bottles" out in the open and ready for action- not going to happen unless he lets me keep the blanket over us and he would not -

this denial -he's never been denied his mommy milk before and his fear threw him into a full blown tantrum with the arching back and screeching that could break glass- I tried everything- everyone was looking at us- probably wondering why my baby was so upset- we left and found bench to sit down on and as quick as it came on it was over-

I made sure that he only had a nip and small bite or two in the hour before the meal to ensure that he woud eat when we ate and this worked with both of my older boys when they younger.

Just go on the trip with the idea that the baby needs to get out of the stroller and run around, he/she will have their own agenda and sometimes it's fun to just sit, slow down and really play with your baby .

 

[Jennygt]

Thanks for all the great ideas, love the ziplock bag idea!

 

[r4blessings]

I have gone almost every year that one of my little kids was one! We have several Aug birthdays and that is the best time of year for us to go! One thing I haven't seen mentioned that is a MUST is some sort of sunhat! Make sure it is a beach hat that has the straps under their chin or you will spend a silly amount of time retrieving it off the floor and putting it back on your little one's head! Even though most strollers have shades, many times they are out and under the direct sun!

Other must haves

baby powder
(I used to sprinkle some down their back and chest when it was hot, and also on their toes!)

baby sunblock and sunblock in a stick for their face.

disposable bibs
those sticky things for the table that pp mentioned

extra crib sheet for the room

One year is a great time to go! You will have so much fun!

Jennifer

 

[LaraK]

ziplocks ziplocks ziplocks....you pack everything in them (I even put each day's outfit in a ziplock before I leave home....then I can toss a pack at each kid in the morning and it avoids the "I want to wear that with that" fight....I even put DH's stuff for each day in a ziplock...then he doesn't mess up my suitcase ). You can put a poopy diaper in the ziplock to throw away (I think throwing a poop diaper away unsealed anywhere in public is rude). You can put uneaten food in ziplocks. You can put cameras in ziplocks. You can put sunscreen in ziplocks.

The things I took to the park every day....sunscreen (reapply OFTEN!). disposable sippy cups (give water at least every hour). disposable spoons, a hat, links from discovery kids (I attached a couple of toys to the stroller...it was good for two reasons, I could tell which stroller was mine and it gave him something to do)

Most importantly, have fun and take it easy.

 

[becky_AK]

Subscribing, we are going in Oct. for DS 1st bday